deliberation

American  

[dih-lib-uh-rey-shuhn] / dɪˌlɪb əˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

deliberations plural

1. careful consideration before decision.

   Synonyms:

   forethought, reflection

2. formal consultation or discussion.

3. deliberate quality; leisureliness of movement or action; slowness.

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deliberation British  

/ dɪˌlɪbəˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. thoughtful, careful, or lengthy consideration

2. (often plural) formal discussion and debate, as of a committee, jury, etc

3. care, thoughtfulness, or absence of hurry, esp in movement or speech

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nondeliberation
  noun
• overdeliberation
  noun
• predeliberation
  noun
• redeliberation
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• deliberations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of deliberation

1325–75; Middle English deliberacion < Latin dēlīberātiōn- (stem of dēlīberātiō ), equivalent to dēlīberāt ( us ) ( see deliberate) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

The process of carefully considering what to do is called deliberation, like your deliberation before making one of the most important decisions in your life. The noun deliberation comes from the Latin word deliberare, meaning “weigh,” or “consider well.” Whenever a person or group needs to work through all of the possible solutions to a problem, this is deliberation. Something that is deliberate is done on purpose, not by chance or accident — deliberation carries this same spirit, in that it is a carefully thought-out process of making a decision.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

deliberation deliberations

The verdict comes after deliberation over the division of assets between Roh and Chey, who had been married for 35 years.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

The State Department declined to say whether Lex Libertas will be among those invited to compete, saying the grant is still under deliberation.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026

"This has implications for critical real-world scenarios, like when a radiologist can accurately classify masses on an X-ray as benign or malignant fairly automatically, often without extensive deliberation, thanks to years of training," Cox said.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

“Sullivan & Cromwell’s decision to represent President Trump was undertaken following thorough discussion with our firm’s nearly 200 partners, and deliberation at our Managing Partners Committee and Management Committee,” a firm spokesman said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Toomer had stopped, hunted for a stick, and with great deliberation had marked a large “X” across the track of the snake.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Kagan said there have been more leaks over time, which has frustrated all the justices and had an impact on their deliberations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

The professor declined to reveal details of the committee’s deliberations that led it to cancel its plans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

He also acknowledged that the jury was "exhausted" after deliberating from early Thursday morning, adding that "it would be totally wrong" to expect them to continue deliberations in the hours ahead.

From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026

Defining the shortfall was the first step taken by the so-called Greenspan Commission when it began its deliberations to restore balance to Social Security in 1982.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026

I was having the hardest time keeping a smile off my face, so I remained as silent as possible during the deliberations.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

Related Words

• conference
• consideration
• consultation
• debate
• speculation